It's amazing in this day and age that breeders and dog guardians still cling to the practice of cutting away pieces of dogs’ anatomies for aesthetic purposes and/or human imposed breed standards. Not only is this practice unnecessary, it's out-dated and downright abusive.

Both theCanadian Veterinary Medical Association(CVMA) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) classify these surgeries as elective, medically unnecessary and are united in their stance that these procedures "are not medically indicated nor of benefit to the patient," and "these procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anaesthesia, blood loss, and infection."

We know that many people judge others by appearance and it’s the same with dogs. Studies have shown that many people perceive dogs with ears and tails that have been ritually cut off to be more aggressive, less playful and less affectionate. These people are judging the temperament of cropped and docked dogs simply by their appearance, without any evidence or scientific basis. They perceive these dogs as potentially aggressive, and as we know, what we perceive is our truth. We already have a problem with unfair discrimination against certain breeds and this only serves to exacerbate the problem.

Chopping off tails and ears is equivalent to cutting out a person’s tongue. Dog's don't have a voice to communicate, they do so with body language and their ears and tails are two main components of these communications. Stumped tails and sliced ears are less informative to other dogs and humans, limiting the dog’s ability to communicate effectively.

We must ask ourselves if we would put our babies or toddlers through unnecessary, painful and savage cosmetic procedures that would not only interfere with communication for the rest of their lives but would also give them a threatening appearance. It goes without saying that it’s time for breeders, guardians and veterinarians to take a stand and say no to cropping and docking!

​We'll give credit where credit is due. The city of Toronto did a good thing by prohibiting choke collars, choke chains and prong/spike collars but did they fall short of the mark? Although this is a fantastic first step to improving rights for our dogs, the by-law notably excluded the banning of shock equipment.

Shock collars work short-term because they hurt and scare the dog but in the long run, the risk of long-lasting emotional and psychological damage far outweighs any gains one would expect to achieve.

Modern studies have proven that dogs are thinking and feeling, emotional animals. In fact, dogs are equipped with the same five basic emotions that a human baby is born with. It's also been proven that at full physical, intellectual and emotional maturity, dogs have the intelligence of a three to four year old child.

Would you strap a shock collar on your baby or toddler and zap them every time they did something you deemed wrong? We don't barbarically shock our children into subservience, instead we teach them to make correct choices. So why would someone shock a dog that has the emotional equivalent of a toddler?

Aversive and compulsion tools such as choke chains, prong collars and shock equipment (including e-fencing) are a cop out for those who do not wish to put the time in to train their dog in a fair and humane way. After all, don't we all want loyal trusting companions as opposed to brow beaten, subservient slaves?

Here’s hoping that other cities follow Toronto’s lead and that they include shock equipment in the list of tools to ban.